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Catch Up With Wednesday's News Links

By Tom Dienhart, BTN.com Senior Writer -
3 years ago

Should computers have anything to do with college football rankings? Who cracked the post-spring football rankings? Our colleagues at ESPN.com are posing a buzz-worthy question about the next Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten – for now. Is it William Gholston? John Simon? Gerald Hodges? Someone else?

These are the headlines around Big Ten football on this Wednesday. Come on into this post and read all about it.

That would be OK with me. Think about it: The process would basically be the same as it is for the NCAA tourney that is so wildly popular. Just assemble a committee of administrators, etc., provide them with a stack of information—which could and should include computer rankings—and let them make an informed decision on which teams are playoff worthy.

Will all controversy be eliminated? No. Remember all the jilted coaches interviewed moments after the Big Dance bracket is announced? Still, I think this type of process would be embraced more heartily by the public because of its familiarity with it.

Ohio State is No. 11; Michigan is No. 12; Michigan State is No. 16. Looks about right to me, but the Spartans may be a tad too low. In fact, some feel Michigan State may be the top team in the Big Ten.

As for the Buckeyes, I think they could be the top team in the Big Ten. Yes, even better than Michigan State, Wisconsin and Michigan—the teams many feel will be the best in the conference. This could be a very motivated Ohio State that wants to show the nation how good it is in Year One under Urban Meyer. Yes, the Buckeyes are ineligible for the Big Ten title and a bowl, but they can upset the apple cart as a spoiler and set a tone for future dominance.

Projections: Who could be the top defensive player in the Big Ten? ESPN’s dynamic blogging tandem of Adam Rittenberg and Brian Bennett has posed the question in a poll. The top candidates they list:

A nice list of candidates. My choice at 10:02 a.m. CT on May 9, 2012, has to be Gholston. The 6-7, 275-pound Gholston is pterodactyl coming off the edge who is unblockable one-on-one. If he’s not a consensus All-American and the Hendricks Award winner, I will paint my head green. Gholston, come on down and take your place in Spartan lore next to defensive end luminaries like Bubba Smith and George Webster.

The four games that will be the difference between a good and great season—at Michigan State; Nebraska; at Wisconsin; Michigan. Split those, and Michigan is 10-2, back in a BCS bowl and maybe Legends Division champs.

My take: We know about O’Brien’s desires to play Pitt. (Love it!) And I like his thinking on playing other college football heavies. But, Stanford? It doesn’t belong in the same breath as Alabama and USC in this discussion. A couple of good seasons don’t mean the Cardinal suddenly is elite. Let’s see what life is like sans Andrew Luck; 7-5, anybody? Sounds about right.